The present invention relates to a folding electronic apparatus having a foldable structure by providing with a frame functioning as a lid so as to be rotatable.
A notebook personal computer, for example, has been known as an electronic apparatus having a foldable structure. A keyboard or the like is arranged on an upper surface of the main body of this type of electronic apparatus, and various types of circuits such as a CPU, a memory, and a power supply circuit are contained in the main body. A frame functioning as a lid is arranged so as to cover the keyboard or the like, and the frame is made rotatable by a hinge provided at a rear end of the main body, for example. A display comprising a flat display panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is provided on a surface, opposite to the keyboard, of the frame. When the electronic apparatus is used, the display can be seen by opening the frame. On the other hand, when the electronic apparatus is carried, the frame is closed, thereby making it possible to enhance portability as well as to prevent the display or the like from being damaged (see JP-A-10-283063 (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-91935), for example).
In this type of electronic apparatus, it is desirable that the frame and the main body are overlapped with each other almost completely in a state where the frame is closed (folded) from the point of view of preventing the display or the like from being damaged. When the size of the frame changes by changing the size of the display, therefore, not only the frame but also the main body must be newly designed and fabricated. However, this causes the development cost to rise.
Even if the display used for this type of electronic apparatus is generally made one size larger, for example, from a 13-inch diagonal to a 14-inch diagonal, the length and the width of the display itself only become larger by a few millimeters, respectively.
In a case where only the size of the display is considered, therefore, the display with a 14-inch diagonal can be mounted on the frame even if the main body and the frame are designed such that their sizes (lengths and breadths) conform to the display with the 13-inch diagonal. In this method, the main body and the frame need not be newly designed and fabricated even when a display which is at least one size larger is desired to be applied.
When the display is made one size larger, however, a driving circuit comprising an inverter or the like for driving the display also increases in size. In the frame conforming to the display with a 13-inch diagonal, it is difficult to incorporate both the display and the driving circuit which both increase in size. Consequently, the length of the frame must be actually made larger by not less than 10 mm. Accordingly, the frame and the main body must be newly designed and fabricated. On the other hand, when the main body and the frame are designed in conformity with a display of a large size, useless areas exist the upper side and the lower side of the frame, when a display which is one size smaller is incorporated, resulting in a bad appearance. Further, the electronic apparatus is not miniaturized even if the size of the display is decreased.
An object of the present invention is to provide a folding electronic apparatus capable of realizing almost complete overlapping between a frame functioning as a lid and its main body in a case where the frame is folded without requiring to change the size of the main body even when the size of the frame is changed.
In an electronic apparatus so adapted that a first frame functioning as a lid is provided so as to be rotatable and is overlapped with its main body, a folding electronic apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that a second frame is mounted on the main body in correspondence with an area into which the first frame juts out from the main body when the first frame is overlapped with the main body.
When the size of the first frame is changed, therefore, the second frame corresponding to the size may be thus mounted on the main body. Accordingly, it is possible to realize almost complete overlapping between the first frame and the main body (the main body with the second frame) in a case where the first frame is folded without changing the size of the main body. That is, in two or more types of electronic apparatuses which differ in the size of the first frame, it is possible to reduce the cost of the electronic apparatus by using a common product for their main bodies.
The second frame may be provided at a front edge of the main body. Further, the first frame may be provided with a display. Furthermore, a driving circuit for driving the display may be provided inside the first frame.
An electrical device may be provided inside the second frame, and the electrical device may be connected to an electric circuit inside the main body. Examples of the electrical device include a speaker, a switch, a sensor, a connector, a chip component, a printed circuit board, and a code. Consequently, a space inside the second frame is effectively made use of, thereby making it possible to reduce the burden of containing the electrical device on the main body.
A speaker may be provided as the electrical device inside the second frame, and a sound path for conducting sound from the rear of the speaker into a front of the speaker may be formed in the second frame. Consequently, it is possible to improve the quality of reproduced sound by obtaining a bass reflex effect produced by the sound path.
The electronic apparatus may be so constructed that the first frame is provided with a hook, the second frame is provided with a hole into which the hook is to be inserted, a switch serving as the electrical device is provided inside the second frame in the vicinity of the hole, the hook is engaged with the hole when the first frame is overlapped with the main body, and the switch is operated upon being pressed by the hook. Consequently, it is possible to effectively make use of the space inside the second frame as well as make it possible to carry out various types of control by detecting whether the state of the first frame is a folded state or an opened state.